Jetheo matsoist hoopee



(No Model.)

J. M. HOOPER.

KEYBOARD ATTACHMENT FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 290,430. Patented Dec. 18, 1883.

WITNESSES INVENTOR 46W ATTORNEYS.

UNrrED STATEs JETHRO MATSON HOOPER, OF FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS.

KEY-BOARD ATTACHMENT FQR WlUSl CAL li l i'llUhdENTS.

SPECIFICATIOII forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,430, dated December 18, 1883, Application filed March 29, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JnTHRo M. Hoornn, of Fort Smith, in the county of Sebastian and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and Improved Key-Board Attachment for Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to improve key-board attachments for musical instru ments, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the keyboard of a musical instrument, and end ele vation of my automatic attachment for playing the same. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the attachment without the perforated web, and Fig. 3 is a detail of the same in section.

In any suitable case, a, adapted to be applied to the front of the key-board bof an organ or piano by arms a and d and the bar m, or other equivalent means, I arrange a perforated paper or metal .web, 6. having perforations f, corresponding to the music, to pass over a grooved roller, 9, from a roll, it, onto a take-up roll, 1', with levers j, corresponding to the keys Z of the instrument, hinged to the bar m, connected to arms d, and entering under ledge n of the instrument, for securing the attachment to the instrument, said levers having a bearing-point, 0, to act on the keys, and another point, p, to drop through the holes of the perforated web by the weight of the levers. They are lifted off the keys by the web acting on the incline of the point p when the perforations pass from under the points, and let fall when the perforations pass under them. The grooves of the roller g allow the points 1) to drop through the web 0 far enough to enable the levers to work the keys.

For causing the perforated web to move along under the keys with the proper regularity and speed, I provide a pair of feedrolls, 8, between which to run it, with a crank, t, applied to one roll for turning the rolls; and I connect the takeup roll t with the feedroll having the crank by a belt, a, and pulleys 1; w to work the take-up roll thereby, the belt being crossed to turn the said take-up roll in the right direction for taking the web cause the belt a will slip on the pulleys. The

PATENT Grinch.

on its upper side, the roll 2' being located lower down in the box. By this contrivance of the feed-rolls and take-up roll the speed of the movement of the perforated web will not increase as the size of the roll increases, be-

roll it has a shaft-extension, it, projecting out through the case, for the application of the crank 25 to roll the web f back onto it, for renewing the performance, said crank being detachable from the shaft of feed-roll s for the purpose; and a lifter is provided for raising up the levers, so as not to interfere with the return of the web, said lifter consisting of the bar y on eccentric pivots :2, and having the knob a for a handle.

The knob 1) represents one of the stops of the piano or organ. The arms (Z will rest on the upper side of the key-board at the ends of the range of keys.

I propose in practice to have the grooved roller adjusted with relation to the levers for arranging it in the best relation to them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A keyboard attachment for a musical instrument, having a perforated strip, 6, llJOV- able, as described, on a roll, 9, and a set of levers, j, hinged at their rear ends, having points 1) at their front ends, and provided on the under side with intermediate points, 0, adapted to depress the keys, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The case a, carrying arms 0 (Z, with crossbar m adapted to support the levers at their rear ends and over the keys, as shown and described.

3. In an automatic attachment for organs and pianos, a case, a, having levers j, perforated web 0, grooved roll g, and means all combined and arranged, substantially as described, for operating said web, said case having arms 0 and d, and bar an, attached to arms (I, for application to the key-board by placing said arms under and over the key-board and the bar at under ledge a, substantially as described.

JETHRO MATS N HOOPER.

\Vitnesses (halls. H. EBERLE, L. P. SANDELS. 

